Ghostbusters The Video Game

VIOLENCE: You shoot ghosts with your proton pack, slime gun, stasis stream, meson collider, and anything else that will make capturing them or destroying them an easy task. You also are attacked by undead zombie-like creatures, which disappear shortly after they have been killed.
LANGUAGE: Mild-moderate profanities are used here and there throughout the game, such as d*mn, b**ch and hell.
SEXUAL CONTENT: Suggestive dialogue is scattered here and there throughout the game. Peter hits on a woman with a few tongue-in-cheek terms, and other reference are made to adult shops and bookstores.
CRUDE HUMOR: Crass and crude bathroom humor is used throughout the game.
SUPERNATURAL Content: People are possessed by ghosts very frequently, and sometimes the areas haunted by ghosts. The final mission involves destroying a god who has been brought back by means of some supernatural ritual.

Editor’s note: This review may not apply to the Wii, DS, PS2 and PSP versions.

Ghostbusters: the Video Game is a role-playing/action/shooter/puzzle game all rolled into one. What’s the result? A very fun and intuitive game that you’ll want to play over and over again. The question is, is it worth it due to the content?

In this game you play the role of a rookie who has been hired onto the Ghostbusters team, and just in the nick of time. No sooner than you enter the Ghostbusters headquarters and get a slight debrief, a major wave of supernatural energy blasts through the city. It is with this that the story of paranormal peril begins.

GAMEPLAY: The gameplay is extremely fun. It never gets old or boring, because there is always something new to keep you hooked: A new piece of equipment, or maybe an upgrade for equipment that you already have, or maybe a twist in the story, etc, etc. The game never gets old.

Also, this game features an extraordinary environment. Anything is destructible. Anything is possible. You can draw smiley faces on the walls with your proton stream if you so wished. The only problem is you have to be careful when busting ghosts inside of buildings such as hotels or libraries, because whenever you destroy something that is public property, a money count starts building up… this money count keeps track of how many dollars’ worth of public property you have destroyed.

Gameplay also introduces a way to ‘wrangle’ the ghosts just like the original Ghostbusters did. You wear the ghost out with whatever equipment suits your fancy (a proton shotgun, a meson collider that shoots anti-ghost rockets, slime blowers, pretty much anything you can imagine) then when they are worn out, you throw down the trap, wrangle them into the trap, and then they’re captured. Needless to say, busting ghosts is a lot of fun in this game.

VIOLENCE: The violence in this game is very mild. You shoot ghosts with your proton guns, slime blowers or whatever else you may have available at the time, and then you wrangle them into the trap. Sometimes you will fight zombie-looking creatures, but when you shoot them they just fall over and disappear. Possessed objects will fly at you, and sometimes people get possessed and you have to use your slime blower on them to make them ‘un-possessed’. There was no blood or gore in this game at all.

LANGUAGE: Mild profanities are used all throughout. D**m, hell, b**ch, and ‘oh my god’ were all used at least once. Crude humor and crass references were also present. A reference was made to “adult shops and bookstores”, and also references are made to passing gas and “boiling bowels”.

SEXUAL CONTENT: Compared to the rest of the Ghostbusters series, I was surprised at how little sexual content there was in the game. Peter hits on a young lady early on in the game, but nothing explicit is said. Other very mild sexual references were made here and there throughout the game, but like I said, nothing explicit is ever said.

SUPERNATURAL ENVIRONMENT: In some areas, the environment is very creepy and disturbing. One area is haunted by ghost children, and you can hear their voices all throughout the room. Nothing disturbing is shown, but it is still a very creepy area. Also, a Spider Witch’s lair is very dark and disturbing. Webbed people are hanging from the ceiling, sticking up from the floor, laying on the floor, and everywhere else you can imagine. You never see the people inside the web-casings, but it is still very obvious what they are. Also, in the final mission you have to kill a ‘god’ who has been resurrected through some kind of ritual.

This game is very fun, enthralling, and extremely hard to put down. The game is very creepy and disturbing in some parts, and sometimes it makes you jump out of your seat (especially when a door slams in your face as you’re walking through it), but if you can handle all these things, I highly recommend this game.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Eden Communications or the Christian Answers Network.

Comments are closed

Comments are currently closed on this review.

Michael MungoJuly 16, 2009

I Love This Game

ZachAugust 25, 2009

You collect little supernatural Items throughout the game(example: possesed paintings, toy cars),but you don’t use them, their like buck tropies. One is a slightly suggestive calendar but you don’t need to get it. Ray’s still a paranormal freak, but you play a guy who’s not.

DonNovember 3, 2009

I loved Ghostbusters as a kid, so naturally when I heard about this game I was thrilled. The thrill only gave way to a huge letdown. While the gameplay was awesome and the storlyine was intriguing I had a ton of trouble with the occult aspects of it. Isn't the Bible strongly opposed to dealings in the occult and contacting spirits. (Lev. 19:31, Lev. 20:6, 1 Sam 28:7-8, Isa. 8:19

Christian Gamers Code

The Christian Gamer is a believer in Jesus Christ as the way to eternal salvation (John 3:16). As a Christian, responsible to God for my actions and thoughts, I promise to choose my games carefully. My goal is to be a good witness in my purchasing decisions, in my game play with others, and in the use of my time.